National News

Honduras's central bank says higher net foreign reserves expanded money supply through currency conversion, but officials have partially offset that expansion by absorbing liquidity from the financial system.

Concacaf announced Honduras will be in Pot 1 alongside Costa Rica for the 2026–27 Nations League draw, set for July 23 in Miami, with the tournament serving as a qualification route for the 2027 Gold Cup.

Honduras's banking sector continues to strengthen as private deposits rise, driven by economic activity and robust family remittances, the central bank reports.

Honduras's central bank reported strengthened foreign-exchange reserves driven by sustained inflows of family remittances and revenues from goods and services exports.

The Agriculture Ministry convened dairy-industry leaders to review production challenges, market stability, and supply strategies, with officials reporting that Honduras produces roughly 1.7 million liters of milk daily and prices remain stable through July.

The Central Bank of Honduras announced measures to reduce inflation, which reached 5.83% in June, by increasing open-market operations to drain excess money from the financial system starting in August, aiming to return inflation to its 4% target by year-end.

Environment Minister Juan Carlos Ramos is pushing Congress to approve a solid-waste law that has cleared first debate, saying it would unlock international funding for sanitary landfills and improve trash collection across Honduras's 298 municipalities.

The Liberal Party's congressional delegation will present next week an alternative to the governing party's proposed reforms to the electricity sector, focusing on two disputed articles while seeking to rescue the state utility without privatization.

A judge ordered Mauro Neptalí Sosa López held in pretrial detention on suspicion of sexually assaulting a child under 13; an initial hearing is scheduled for July 23.

Economist Ismael Zepeda says the Central Bank will struggle to control inflation through monetary policy given international conflicts raising fuel costs and a planned electricity rate increase in the third quarter, though the bank aims to absorb excess money supply and cut monetary emissions by 11%.

Experts warn that between 45,000 and 50,000 Hondurans could be deported from the United States by year-end, more than double the pace of 2025 and potentially exceeding levels seen during 2018–2019, driven by stricter US enforcement policies.

Criminal groups are extorting schools and teachers across Honduras, forcing private schools to close or relocate and displacing over 550 educators in 2026, while the Education Ministry demands written complaints before taking action.

Active interest rates on business loans have decelerated across commerce, industry, and services, tracking softer deposit rates, according to Central Bank data.

Honduras's labor federations say they will immediately seek a minimum-wage adjustment if inflation reaches 7%, invoking a safeguard clause in the current wage agreement, citing rising fuel and food costs eroding workers' purchasing power.

The Housing Ministry unveiled a 10-year subsidy plan offering grants of up to L82,500 (about $3,300) and monthly payment reductions to help low-income families qualify for mortgages and afford monthly payments on social housing.

Housing Secretary Francis Argeñal says most Honduran homes are built informally without technical oversight, leaving them structurally vulnerable to earthquakes, and the government is working to promote earthquake-resistant housing standards.

Over 70 rural, indigenous, and Garífuna organizations held nationwide road blockades and demonstrations on July 20 demanding the government repeal three decrees that criminalize land claims, broaden the definition of terrorism, and shield agricultural and energy-sector lands from legal challenges including agrarian reform.

After a constitutional ruling annulled his judicial proceedings and restored his presumption of innocence, ex-judge Marco Vallecillo formally petitioned the Supreme Court of Justice to resume his duties in the judiciary, with his defense arguing no valid dismissal order exists in his personnel file.

Honduras's Part-Time Employment Law, approved in March 2026 with promised creation of 40,000 jobs, has generated only 59 registered contracts as of June, prompting officials and ruling-party lawmakers to acknowledge the law has failed to meet expectations.

More than 200,000 people owe the National Road and Transport Authority over 700 million lempiras (about $28 million) in unpaid traffic fines, according to the agency's director Lenin Morell.

Honduras's central bank allocated $90.8 million in its July 20 foreign-exchange auction, setting the weighted average exchange rate at L26.7638 per dollar for July 21.

Honduras's net international reserves have accumulated $1.25 billion since January 27, the Central Bank reported as of July 17, with import coverage holding steady at 6.7 months.

Kilvett Bertrand, president of Congress's Defense and Sovereignty Commission, said El Salvador President Nayib Bukele's recent remarks affirm Honduras's sovereignty over Isla Conejo and should resolve any dispute over the territory.

The Central Bank of Honduras is updating and relaxing the deadlines for exporters to bring foreign-currency earnings back into the country, aiming to simplify operations for the export sector.

The Central Bank of Honduras says the country's macroeconomic conditions remain positive despite a complex international environment.

A judge postponed the initial hearing against former INAMI director Ninfa Flores and three co-defendants accused of fraud and abuse of authority to July 28, at the defense's request pending submission of evidence.

Honduras's state power utility ENEE has announced planned power cuts for Tuesday, July 21, in neighborhoods and colonies across the country for scheduled maintenance work.

Honduras's new BIEN digital wallet app, which stores identification documents and driver's licenses, reached nearly 100,000 registrations within a week of its official launch by President Nasry Asfura.

Ex-president Juan Orlando Hernández (2014–2022), pardoned by Donald Trump in late 2025 after a 45-year US drug sentence, said he will fly to Honduras on July 27 to face fraud and money-laundering charges and expects to be tried in freedom, citing the release of other co-defendants.

The Central Bank of Honduras released its updated 2026–2027 monetary program, projecting inflation will converge to its 4.0% ± 1 percentage-point target by December 2026 and tightening money-supply measures to combat price pressures that reached 5.83% in June.